Closing statement
Hardware a collective effort for US
BEIJING - The US Olympic team might have been knocked off the gold standard by the Chinese when the Bird's Nest went dark here last night, but once the final medal tally was in, the Americans had topped the overall table for the fourth straight Summer Games, with 110, their most at a non-boycotted Games, and 10 more than the Chinese, who jacked up their count by 37 since Athens.
The hosts, whose 51 golds were the most by any country since the Soviet Union collected 55 in 1988, won 15 more than the US, which still matched its 2004 total. But the Yanks parlayed a huge edge in swimming (31) and track and field (23) to collect the most medals and they won those that most matter to them - in the team sports.
Except for men's soccer and women's field hockey, which both were medal long shots, the US made the podium in every group endeavor, winning both basketball golds plus men's volleyball and women's soccer.
A sport-by-sport look at how the US fared in Beijing:
Archery
A couple of quarterfinal efforts by Vic Wunderle and Khatuna Lorig in a sport the Americans once owned. Maybe they ought to naturalize a few Koreans.
Badminton
The quarterfinal finish by Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong was the best ever. The Americans are creeping closer to the podium, but there's still a Chinese wall blocking the way.
Baseball
After a quadrennium away from the Games, the star-spangled farmhands rebounded for a farewell bronze after a beating from the Cubans. Will it mean as much to them as a September call-up?
Basketball
See what happens when you send the varsity? Kobe and Kompany had to work up a sweat against the Spaniards in the final, but most nights it was a throwback to 1960. The women, who won a fab fourth straight, were all business, all the time.
Boxing
The Yanks came in with two world champions in flyweight Rau'shee Warren and welterweight Demetrius Andrade and departed with just a bronze by heavyweight Deontay Wilder. It's not the judges, it's the program. If Americans still cared about the sport, there'd be hell to pay.
Canoe/kayak
No finals from the flatwater crew, who were up the creek again even with a paddle, and no medals from the whitewater types, who usually deliver something shiny.
Cycling
The roadies produced again, with Kristin Armstrong grabbing gold and Levi Leipheimer bronze in the time trial. No golds from the BMXers in their debut, but Mike Day's silver and bronzes from Donny Robinson and Jill Kintner were a nice haul and the two top-10 finishes in women's mountain bike were respectable. After Sarah Hammer literally got a bad break in the points race, cracking a collarbone, the track team was shut out for the second straight time.
Diving
Help is on the way with some talented teenagers, but there were no medals for the second Games in a row. If an Aussie can grab a gold away from the Chinese in their own pool, why can't a Yank?
Equestrian
They didn't match the five medals they won in Athens, but the horsey set still earned one of every color in the Hong Kong sauna - a team gold and a bronze from Beezie Madden in jumping and a silver from Gina Miles in eventing.
Fencing
Their messed-up federation had to be taken over by the USOC, but the athletes had another magical Games with a half-dozen medals. The women swept the sabre with Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson, and Becca Ward and also won the team bronze, and their foil team (including Harvard captain Emily Cross) won silver. When the men's sabre team (with Brandeis grad Tim Morehouse) chipped in a historic silver, Team Zorro went home as heroes.
Field hockey
The women didn't make the medal round, but their eighth-place finish was more than creditable after a dozen years away from Olympus. Now, the challenge is to get the men back in the game.
Gymnastics
The women might have missed the team gold, but they're the world's best. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, who won seven individual medals between them, are an unbeatable 1-2 combination. Nobody gave the men a chance after the Hamm twins got hurt, but winning the team bronze with two alternates in the lineup was a huge achievement, as was Jonathan Horton's high-bar silver. All told, 10 medals inside China's reverberating gym was a magnificent showing.
Judo
Jim Pedro has moved on but one of his pupils moved into his podium place. Ronda Rousey's bronze at 70 kg was the first ever by an American woman.
Modern pentathlon
The only story here was Sheila Taormina competing in her third Olympic sport, where she finished 19th. Unless the base gets deeper, the Yanks won't be near the medals in Baron de Coubertin's pet sport.
Rowing
The Americans got what they came for - the first gold by the women's eight since 1984 (and first against a full field), a bronze by the men's eight and a silver by Michelle Guerette, the first in the women's single in two decades. With things finally looking up on the sculling side, especially in the quads, there could be a half-dozen medals in London.
Sailing
Anna Tunnicliffe's gold in Laser Radial was a coup, as was Zach Railey's silver in Finn. But too many of their fellow boat people were outside of the top 10. Maybe there'll be fairer breezes and calmer waters in England.
Shooting
The Yanks, who used to grab fistfuls of medals before the Chinese got trigger-happy, are back on target. Besides the golds by Walton Eller (double trap) and Vincent Hancock (skeet), there also were two silvers and two bronzes. That's double the Athens total.
Soccer
The Fab Five may be gone but the women still rule at Olympus. This gold medal was the sweetest of their three, but it wouldn't have happened without keeper (and new best friend) Hope Solo. If the men hadn't given up a last-minute goal to the Dutch, they would have advanced, but the podium was a long shot.
Softball
After three straight golds, losing to Japan was a shock, but it might have gotten the sport back on the program for 2016. Sometimes when you lose, you win.
Swimming
Nobody's quibbling about 31 medals (three more than last time) and a dozen golds. Michael Phelps, who won or shared eight of them, was phantastic and Jason Lezak had the meet of his dreams at 32. Dara Torres's amazing accomplishment (three silvers at 41) overshadowed the fact that her fellow females won only two golds. Good as the pile of precious metal was, it could have been better.
Synchronized swimming
On again, off again, on again, off again. After double bronzes in Athens, it was double fifths this time in duet and team. Do the Josephson twins still have their noseclips?
Table tennis
Great leap upward by the US women. Wang Chen's quarterfinal finish was their best ever, Gao Jun reached the fourth round, and the women's team finished fifth. The Chinese aren't worried, but this was a breakthrough.
Taekwondo
Steven was beaten for the first time in six years, but Team Lopez put all three siblings on the podium - a silver for Mark, bronzes for Steve and Diana. The Tritschler brothers, the last family trio, didn't manage that in 1904.
Tennis
James Blake went home empty-handed despite knocking off Roger Federer, but the doubles came through - gold from the Williams sisters, bronze from the Bryan brothers.
Track and field
Despite all the handwringing about the no-gold sprints and the blown relays, the US still topped the table with 23 medals, the same total they won at home in 1996, and the nine by the women was their best showing since '92. And, for the first time in a dozen years, the World's Best Athlete is a Yank.
Triathlon
A near-miss by Laura Bennett was the best the Americans could do. After three Games, their total medal collection is one bronze.
Volleyball
They spiked everybody. Two golds on the beach from Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh and Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers. An emotional gold indoors from the men, who hadn't won since 1988, and an unexpected silver from the women, who hadn't made the podium since 1992. The people who invented the sport own it again.
Water polo
Another heartbreaker for the women, who lost the gold for the second time in the final minute. But they made the podium for the third straight time and the men's surprise silver was their first medal since 1988. Fatter subsidies from the USOC should be on the way.
Weightlifting
A couple of American records by supermom Melanie Roach and Kendrick Farris were satisfying, but nobody placed higher than sixth. At least the Americans are clean, which should earn them some kind of trophy these days.
Wrestling
The gold medal by freestyler Henry Cejudo, the son of undocumented Mexican immigrants, was a terrific story, but there were only two bronze medals from the rest of the team. When the Yanks are tied with China for eighth in the medal count, something is wrong.
John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com. 